Small Ruminant Integrated Parasite Management (IPM)

View the project final report

• 2003 annual report
• 2004 annual report
• 2005 annual report
• 2006 annual report

Commodities

• Animals: goats, sheep

Practices

• Animal Production: parasite control, animal protection and health, feed rations, free-range, grazing management, livestock breeding, grazing - multispecies, preventive practices, grazing - rotational, stocking rate
• Crop Production: food product quality/safety
• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, farmer to farmer, mentoring, on-farm/ranch research, workshop, youth education
• Farm Business Management: value added
• Pest Management: integrated pest management
• Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures

Gastro-intestinal worms, especially the blood-sucking barber pole worm, affect the health and productivity of sheep and goats. Excessive chemical deworming is costlly and unacceptable to some consumers. The project leader will teach sheep and goat producers how to reduce their use of chemical dewormers through integrated parasite management (IPM) techniques, including the use of fecal egg analysis and the FAMACHA eye anemia chart (to measure anemia caused by the barber pole worm). The goal is to reduce the use of chemical dewormers, help producers identify susceptible animals for culling, and expand understanding of sustainable parasite management in small ruminants.

• Fifty (50) of the project participants will implement fecal egg analysis and/or FAMACHA on their farms as a means of controlling internal parasites in the sheep and/or goat flocks. Fifty additional producers will implement one or more of the following additional IPM techniques Alternative forages, including browsing Zero grazing Nutritional supplementation Genetic selection Strategic deworming Targeted therapy/selective deworming Proper use of anthelmintics Multi-species or co-grazing Rotational grazing with sufficient rest periods